Song and Key

by Connie Bailey

  Cosmina laughed. “You are a gentleman, Mr. Song, but don’t have any fears on that account. I can take care of myself, and I can certainly handle a man like Atanase.”

  “That’s good to hear.”

  “Well, I must be off now. I have a half day free and many errands to do.”

  “Will we see you at dinner later?” Seva waited for her nod, and then he went up to take a shower. When he came out of the bathroom, Keller was awake.

  “Good morning,” Seva said, ignoring any awkwardness.

  Swinging himself out of bed, Keller asked, “What’s for breakfast?”

  “Let’s get dressed and find out.”

  A few minutes later, they entered the dining room, dressed in jeans and long-sleeve shirts and carrying outdoorsy vests with multiple pockets. There was no buffet breakfast today, so they found a table. As they sat, Radu bustled out to offer coffee or tea.

  “Cream and sugar are here.” Radu pointed to a porcelain bowl and pitcher. “Wait for just a little and I will bring your breakfast.” In moments he was back with a large platter of halved soft-boiled eggs, sliced sausages and cheeses, broiled tomatoes, and a long loaf of warm bread. He set down a dish of butter and one of cherry preserves. “Please eat,” he encouraged them and went back to the kitchen.

  “I think I saw the local land baron this morning,” Seva said before he took a bite of bread and butter.

  “Did he seem suspicious?” Keller asked.

  “Would I bring it up if he didn’t?” Seva stacked a piece of lacy cheese and dry-cured sausage and took a big bite. “This is quite good. It has a lot of paprika in it.”

  “What were you going to say about the land baron?” Keller asked after he’d downed half of his coffee.

  “Nothing. It was just a feeling, and I know how you feel about feelings.”

  Keller sighed. “Are you going to be like that today?”

  “What do you mean?” Seva asked, affronted.

  “Are you going to act like a pissed-off preteen all day?”

  Seva snorted. “I wouldn’t have the first idea how to do that.”

  “Then you’re a natural.” Keller cut into a tomato. “This is good, but I kind of miss bacon and eggs.”

  “There’s bacon.” Seva pointed with his knife. “And that’s an egg.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Rarely, but then, I’m not good with kids,” Seva remarked, managing to keep his smirk on the inside.

  “You’ve been real handy with the snappy comebacks lately,” Keller noted.

  “I tend to play up to the competition.”

  “Look, we can trade witty remarks all day or—”

  “At least one of us can.”

  “Are you going to stop?”

  Seva licked sticky jelly from his thumb before he answered. “I’m a counterpuncher.”

  Keller swallowed hard as he watched Seva’s moist, pink tongue. “Okay. I get it. I’m stopping first, all right?”

  Seva chuckled. “I’m sorry. I’m not usually like this. Something about you brings out the contrariness in me, but I’ll try harder to resist.”

  Keller paused before he asked, “Can we talk about the mission now?”

  “As you said last night, we know we have to go back up there and look around again.”

  “Gentlemen,” Radu called out as he entered the dining room, holding a carafe. “More coffee?”

  “Is there any chance of getting a thermos to go?” Keller asked.

  “Of course. I packed a lunch for you as well. Wait a moment and I’ll fetch it.”

  “I hope we don’t have any hallucinations today,” Seva said after Radu walked away.

  “That was not a hallucination,” Keller argued. “A man with red eyes, white fangs, and a black cape appeared in the fog and hovered there.”

  “You know what really bothers me about it?” Seva went on without acknowledging Keller at all. “That ‘vampire’ was such an obvious movie monster cliché. I don’t know what a real vampire would look like if such a thing existed, but I doubt it would look like a member of the British peerage in formal evening dress from almost a hundred years ago.” He paused. “A vampire would have no need for clothing, really. Or hygiene. And if there was a creature that existed by drinking blood, I don’t know why it would go after humans. There are easier ways to get a meal.”

  “You love taking the romance out of everything, don’t you?” Keller asked, shaking his head.

  Seva gave him an incredulous look. “What could possibly be romantic about a corpse that reanimates itself by draining the lifeblood from the living?”

  “Well, it might not be as cut-and-dried as you think,” Keller argued. “A creature that lives for centuries would get bored just killing and eating, right? You’d want company, wouldn’t you?”

  “I don’t think a vampire could ever have an equal relationship with a human.” Seva paused. “I’ll concede a sort of master-and-pet dynamic is possible. But the romantic angle is right out.”

  “Why do I bother? You’re relentlessly logical.”

  “Thank you.” Seva drank the last of his coffee. “I’ll return the compliment when I think of one.”

  Keller snorted. “You do that.”

  Radu came back with the leather pouch of food and set it on the table. “May I hope you have a different destination in mind for your walk today?”

  “No, we’re going back to the ruins,” Keller said. “Ouch,” he added when Seva kicked him under the table half a second later.

  Radu’s look of dismay was comical. “You mustn’t! What if those wolves are still around?”

  “Ms. Albescu assured us that it was a freak occurrence,” Seva said. “So you shouldn’t have to worry about us.”

  “I can’t tell you what to do, but please be careful,” Radu cautioned.

  “Of course we will,” Keller said. “See you at dinner.” He put the pouch’s strap over his shoulder and left the inn with Seva at his heels.

  THE agents hiked up the gorge and made a circuit of the abbey through the forest surrounding the ruins. Again they heard the muffled rumbling noises but could find no cause. A search for caves turned up nothing but a few deep rocky overhangs, much to Keller’s relief; he was not fond of caves. They stopped in the shade of one to eat their lunch. As before, Seva sliced the meat and cheese to make sandwiches.

  “Hey,” Keller said after taking a swallow of his tepid water. “If I wasn’t clear about it last night, I want you to know that it doesn’t mean a thing to me if you’re gay.”

  “Good.” Seva bit into a tomato like it was an apple.

  Keller watched the juice drip down Seva’s chin. He felt a now-familiar twinge in his groin when Seva licked his fingers, and strove to ignore it. “Who eats a tomato like that?” he said critically.

  Seva shrugged. “Why not? It’s a fruit.”

  “Would you put it in a fruit salad?”

  A loud noise suddenly brought both men to their feet, forcing them to abandon their budding idiotic argument.

  “What the hell was that?” Keller asked.

  “It sounded like an explosion, but it was sort of muffled.”

  “Do you think it sounded like it came from that direction?” Keller pointed uphill and to the right.

  “I think so. Let’s go.”

  Song and Key packed up the food and set off to find the source of the bang. They climbed higher than on their previous day’s hike, and nearly reached the top the ridge. After a certain point above the tree line, the rocky face became quite steep, and mountain-climbing gear would be required to go farther up. Though the agents ranged widely around the area, they once again found nothing that might have caused the noise.

  “We wasted more time than I thought,” Keller said as they started downhill. “It’s after three.”

  Seva nodded. “Let’s pick up the pace. I don’t want to be out here in the dark if that fog comes back.”

  “Ditto.”

  For the n
ext half hour, they saved their breath for navigating the steep path down into the forest. As the sun dipped lower and the light faded, they noticed strands of silvery mist forming among the trees. By unspoken agreement, they moved more quickly. Seva was in the lead as they made their way around a pile of boulders, concentrating on his footing, going as fast as he dared. It sounded like Keller was right behind him, but when he reached more level ground and looked up, the trees were almost entirely obscured and he realized he couldn’t see more than a few feet ahead of him. He turned to speak to Keller, but his partner was nowhere to be seen.

  Chapter Eight

  Tuesday afternoon, starting to really dislike the forest outside Dragascar

  “AHHH, crap.” Keller did a 360-degree turn, but everything around him looked exactly the same. Nothing stood out to serve as a landmark. “Seva,” he called in a loud whisper. He got no answer. The fog—the same strange fog that had appeared yesterday afternoon—swallowed his voice. Figuring it was better to keep moving, he walked in the direction he thought was south.

  Keller’s boot struck something large and solid a few minutes later, and he looked down to see a stone block. He had obviously circled back to the ruins. Glad to have something he could use to orient himself, he moved more carefully and tried to get an idea of which part of the old abbey grounds he was in. He found the shin-high remains of the graveyard wall by tripping over them, and he fell awkwardly enough that he knocked the wind out of himself. Sprawled facedown in the wet grass, he lay there until he could draw a complete breath. The sound of someone singing nearby roused him, and he got to his feet.

  “What the hell?” Keller said under his breath. He turned his head from side to side in an attempt to determine where the sound was coming from, but the fog made it seem as though the song was all around him.

  The ethereal voice was a tenor or low alto with the crystal clarity of a well-played flute. Keller didn’t understand the language, so the words were pure notes to him, and they hovered in the mist-freighted air like butterflies with transparent wings. The effect was both exquisite and eerie, and stirred his wonder and disquiet in equal measure.

  Keller thought of the “vampire” he and Seva had encountered near this spot, but his instincts told him the singer and the obviously fake movie monster had nothing in common. He was still standing mesmerized and lost in thought when the singer emerged from the mist. Haloed by glowing wisps of vapor, the slight figure draped in robes of deep red velvet came toward Keller. Long silvery hair, as fine as spider silk, floated on the fog as though spun from it. The singer was small and beautiful, with delicate features carved from ivory and eyes like a Renaissance Madonna, but Keller didn’t mistake him for anything other than male. And Keller knew without doubt that he was no match for who- or whatever this being was.

  “Seva!” Keller attempted to yell as he panicked, but the sound came out as a whisper.

  The singer stopped midnote and cocked his head to one side. Fear raced through Keller like a swarm of ants as he came under the stranger’s scrutiny.

  “You are the stranger, not I.”

  Keller didn’t see singer’s lips move, but he heard the song and he heard words, and this time he understood them and was terrified. The creature could read his mind.

  “You can call me Balaur.”

  Keller knew he’d heard that word before, but he couldn’t remember what it meant. He was, however, fairly certain he hadn’t seen it on a menu. “Balaur.” His voice came out shaky, so he took a breath before he continued. Hoping that if he sounded normal, maybe the situation would start to match, he said, “Thank God. I got completely turned around in this fog. Can you show me the way to Dragascar?”

  Balaur smiled. “Your God has no power over me. You will not return to your home.”

  A ball of ice formed in Keller’s belly, and the chill spread along his veins, making him gasp in pain. This spooky guy was going to kill him in some really weird way that would be incredibly excruciating and end with a closed-casket funeral—if his body was even recovered. He fought to gain control of himself to run or fight, but all he could do was shiver and hyperventilate.

  Balaur stretched out his hand and touched Keller’s cheek, and Keller sank to his knees. His heartbeat slowed and he was able to breathe normally again. Though Balaur’s fingers were cold, warmth spread from his touch. In moments, though, the warmth heated to something more than a comforting glow. Keller’s groin tightened in a sudden spasm of lust. Balaur tilted Keller’s chin up until Keller was looking into his eyes.

  “Show me,” Balaur commanded.

  Keller’s vision blurred and his mind was abruptly filled with images of Seva. Seva’s competent hands on the steering wheel. Seva’s wolfish grin. Seva’s hard, compact body and his handsome cock.

  Keller blinked in confusion and then relaxed in relief that Seva had found him. He was a little puzzled that Seva didn’t speak, but it didn’t matter. It only mattered that Seva was here, warm and alive. Keller reached out as Seva bent over him and pulled him to his feet.

  There was a brief moment of stinging pain in Keller’s throat, and then euphoric, erotic warmth flooded his system. He was safe in his lover’s arms, and in a minute, just a little minute, they’d do more than hug. He slid his arms around to cup Seva’s ass, grinding subtly against him. Seva’s mouth on his neck was the most arousing thing in the world, and—

  Keller gasped as Seva abruptly pulled away from him. The wet cold of the night fog struck him with a bone-deep chill, like the slap of an icy hand. In shock he blinked at Balaur facing off with a stranger dressed in black, and tried to make sense of what was going on. After a long moment of locked gazes, Balaur walked backward into the mist and was lost from sight.

  “Are you all right?” the stranger said, and Keller recognized the man despite only having met him once.

  “What are you doing here?” Keller said. He had time to think that his voice sounded like it was echoing down a tunnel, and then the world tipped onto its side. If there was an answer, he didn’t hear it as he passed out cold. His rescuer gazed down on him for a moment before racing away to help the other.

  SEVA eased his grip on his knife. He was strong and he had excellent stamina, but fifteen continuous minutes of alternately running and jogging through a forest while trying to elude a wolf would wear anyone out. He had kept his head and was still moving quickly, but he knew the enormous black wolf chasing him could attack whenever it pleased. He didn’t know why the animal was content to skulk along on his left. Nothing the size of this wolf would have any fear of a human with a knife.

  “Why don’t you come for me?” he called out. “Are you waiting for dark?”

  Nightfall would arrive early, thanks to the fog. Already the light was growing dim and gloomy. The trees loomed like gnarled ghouls in Seva’s path. A heavy sense of dread grew with each step. He stopped and listened for the wolf.

  “This is really getting on my nerves,” Seva said in a conversational tone. His heart was galloping like a Derby winner and his mouth was as dry as the Sahara, but he managed to keep his voice steady and his wits about him… for now.

  Some small creature ran rustling through the pine straw, and a silent shadow swooped past Seva’s shoulder. Seva heard a small shriek and the beating of phantom wings. When he looked back to his left, the wolf had crept close enough that it could pounce on him. He saw it quite clearly now, and its fur wasn’t pure black but silver tipped with black. However, he hadn’t been mistaken about the size.

  “You’re a big one,” he said under his breath. He wouldn’t have been surprised if this specimen weighed over 150 pounds.

  The wolf stared back at Seva with golden eyes. Slowly his irises contracted so that more white showed. The change flowed out from the eyes, flattened the long muzzle, elongated the paws, and realigned the spine so the wolf could stand upright. The creature towered over Seva and gazed down at him as though wondering how good he tasted.

  “This is not happen
ing,” Seva said firmly. “People cannot turn into wolves, and wolves certainly cannot turn into people.”

  The wolf thing growled.

  “I am not judging you.” Seva prepared to run. “But you scare the shit out of me.” As the last word left his mouth, he pivoted and sprinted away at an angle. He heard the monster crashing through the brush in pursuit, and then a powerful blow on his back sent him flying through the air. Ignoring the searing pain that ran from his shoulder to his waist, Seva tucked into a ball, hit the ground, and rolled forward. He sprang to his feet and dodged to the right as he tried to locate the wolfman. Another blow caught him on the right shoulder and sent him flying again. He scrambled away on all fours, hoping to find his knife, but a grip on the back of his neck pinned him to the ground. Claws punched through his skin, and blood traced thin lines of wetness down his throat. He attempted to twist away, but the monster was easily twice as strong as the strongest opponent Seva had ever faced. As soon as he realized he couldn’t free himself, he tried to relax and save his energy. He became sharply aware of the wounds left by the creature’s claws. For a few seconds, the agony was so great, he was oblivious to all else.

  Something cold and wet touched Seva’s cheek, snapping him back to reality. He heard loud snuffling in his ear. Fur brushed his skin and left an electric tingling in its wake. A shudder ran through his body, and the wolf thing growled low in its throat.

  “I’m not moving,” he said softly. “I don’t know if you understand what I’m saying, but if I’ve trespassed or otherwise offended you, I—”

  The creature growled again, a deep rumble in its chest, and Seva grew still. The tips of his fingers were touching the walking stick with its concealed blade. In a few more seconds it would be in his hand, but the wolf thing could attack at any moment. He didn’t understand why it hadn’t bitten him yet, but surely it was only a matter of time before it ripped out his throat. Seva felt warm, moist breath on the back of his neck and was certain the moment had come.